Lowland Brothers Can You Hear me

It can be assumed that this 24 track compilation is unauthorized, as it bears no label name (although it does have the catalog number MR1), but it certainly does exist, popping up circa 2000 at very specialized shops. Even with such an extensive number of tracks, this does not have all of the songs from their seven singles; in fact, it has only nine of those 14 single sides.

The Doobie Brothers' third long-player was the charm, their most substantial and consistent album to date, and one that rode the charts for a year. It was also a study in contrasts, Tom Johnston's harder-edged, bolder rocking numbers balanced by Patrick Simmons' more laid-back country-rock ballad style. The leadoff track, Johnston's "Natural Thing," melded the two, opening with interlocking guitars and showcasing the band's exquisite soaring harmonies around a beautiful melody, all wrapped up in a midtempo beat - the result was somewhere midway between Allman Brothers-style virtuosity and Eagles/Crosby & Nash-type lyricism, which defined this period in the Doobies' history and gave them a well-deserved lock on the top of the charts…

Guitarist, singer, and harmonica ace Robin Rogers' life was full of hard knocks and sad turns, along with a few delightful coincidences, and she earned the right to sing the blues the tough, old-fashioned way, but sadly, she lived for only a short time after gaining her widest recognition as a solo artist.

Jessye Norman is known as an opera singer. And yet, opera was just one of the genres of music in which Ms. Norman excels. "Lucky to be Me" shows another side of her, a side of her which is equally comfortable as a jazz singer. I love all the songs she sings. I'm a singer myself and I also love the way she interprets the songs in her own special style. Her accompanist is also outstanding and, in spite of the fact that he often doesn't play the melodies of the songs she sings, she holds her own. This is one of my favorite CDs… I probably will play it so often that I'll have to replace it soon. I highly recommend this CD for people who enjoy popular music with an operatic flair.